Dangerous to be young in London?
All over London yesterday the Evening Standard's sellers were flanked with the headline "5 teens shot or stabbed every day". Certainly an attention grabbing headline! By the time I got the paper the lead story had changed, but inside there was a report of youth crime in the Capital. Online version here.
It reveals that:
"From 1 April to 30 November, a total of 1,273 victims under the age of 20 suffered injuries in gun and knife attacks. Many were victims of gang violence."
It is possible to dismiss the article as tabloid panic mongering but clearly there is a problem.

There is some great stuff being done to work with young people, and address these issues, at both street and strategic levels, with Christians involved at all levels. But more is clearly needed, and a fresh realisation from the middle classes that this is not just "somebody else's problem".
These are complex issues, without simple solutions.